A Bloody Good Time
by Kit Daae
Summary: My Left4Dead fan-fic. A very bloody and visceral experience of the zombie apocalypse.
1. Chapter 1

A Bloody Good Time. (A Left4Dead Fan-Fic)

The sun was setting over a large and dilapidated city, the building nothing more than giants in a forest of concrete and steel. This metropolis had once been a bustling center for thousands of people, but now it was...nothing. A young man stood on a rooftop and watched the sun set over the horizon. The sky was a beautiful mix of oranges,reds, and yellows. It would have been a wondrous sight if not for the smoke and stench rising from the dead city.

The man was 21 at the oldest with brown hair cropped close to his skull. A large scar ran down his forehead over his left eye, which were brown also and had the look of a fighter. He had a muscular build that was large without being bulky. He sighed and knocked on a makeshift wooden door over a window of the neighboring building.

"It's clear! Let's get moving!" His voice was deep and commanding but still gentle.

"Ok! We'll be out in a second Garrett!" A kind voice replied.

The door opened to reveal three more people, who moved cautiously from their haven. A young woman about the same age as Garrett with long auburn hair and brown eyes, another boy one year older than Garrett who wore his hair in a greasy mohawk and lastly an older man, aged at least 50 years. Their names were Anastasia, or Anni for short, Kyle, and Vance.

Garrett had a map spread out on a table near the stairwell and several positions were marked in red ink. He stood over the map and ran a gloved finger over different routes and muttered to himself. Anni walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder while Kyle and Vance watched the buildings flanks for any sign of the infected.

"What's our target today G?" Anni asked.

"Well, we need to reach the grocery store to get more supplies and ammo...but..."

"But what!? It seems pretty easy to get there, I can see it from here!" Kyle said.

Vance and Garrett simply sighed and resumed their tasks. It was getting dark so they had to move fast.

"We have to take the long way since the main road is blocked." He rolled the map up and placed it back in his pocket. "Check your ammo and lets get moving."

The group opened the stairwell door and started to move through the building. The stench was acrid - a mix of dead bodies, voided bowels and rotten food. Moaning could be heard from the streets as the infected began to move en masse. Garrett made a fist in the air and motioned for everyone to stop. He rounded the corner and sighted an infected man feeding on a dead body. The victim was a bloody mess, nothing remained of his face and several areas were devoid of flesh.

Garrett aimed his pistol at the back of the zombie's head and pulled the trigger. The creatures head jerked forward as the round forced its way through the skull of the zombie and decayed brains splattered the floor. Garrett cringed as the loud bang of the gun and the sound of the limp body hit the ground. No sooner had the body hit the floor the building was full of the moaning and sounds of feet running.

"Group up! Watch your flanks!" Vance shouted.

Everyone gathered in the middle of the room and watched the two doors and windows. A form shambled through the door but only managed in letting loose a horrible screech before a well placed shot from Anni's pistol silenced it. The infected were soon swarming into the room, their bodies forming walls and piles as the survivors killed them. Ammo was being used rapidly and there were no signs of the assault softening. The room was starting to smell so bad it made Anni gag and Kyle had pulled his shirt over his mouth.

The four of them moved out of the room, Vance watching their backs and slipped into the hallway in a lull between attacks. The smell was a bit better but had a strange tinge of tobacco.

"Smoke...?" Vance gasped. "Smoker!"

A tall and lanky infected ran into the hallway and screamed loudly before lashing its impossibly long tongue and wrapping it around Garrett's neck. It ran back around the corner and started to pull, dragging Garrett to his knees. He fought back with all his strength but failed against the creatures power and was pulled to his back and was drug along the hallway.

"Garrett!" Anni yelled as she watched him being drug away.

She tried to help but was occupied helping Vance keep the horde off of their backs. Kyle ran forward and grabbed a jagged chair leg from the trash in the hallway and forced it through the beast's tongue, pinning it in place. A screech issued from around the corner and Kyle unsheathed his shotgun, aiming toward the door. The Smoker ran through and swung at him, nearly missing his face as he pulled the trigger and a shell blew the zombie's head to pieces.

Garrett stood up, coughing. "N-nice shot."

"Yeah, yeah. Just be more careful." Kyle re-sheathed his shotgun and looked around.

The attack was over...for now. This had lasted for a lot longer than it seemed however, because it was pitch black outside other than the few working streetlights. Working their way through the building, they examined markings and graffiti on the walls pointing them toward safety.

"Here's the exit. Let's go." Vance pointed toward a large metal door.


	2. Chapter 2

Bloody Good Time -Chapter 2-

Vance coughed in the darkness, a rough, rasping sound in what was essentially a lull in the killing. The sound of his own throat startled Vance slightly as he scanned the dark room for any sign of movement.

"I don't like this.... It's too quiet." he stated.

"I know, but that just means we should pay more attention." Annissina retorted.

Vance scoffed lightly. He never was good at taking orders, that's why he was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army. Although he had never told them, he felt that Garrett and, by extension, Anni knew. How, he didn't know, but they seemed to treat him more like a soldier than Kyle, who they treated as more of a.... how was it that Garrett had put it? A "gun-toting pussy who was lucky to not be zombie chow" .

The fact that the two hadn't managed to kill each other yet was amazing, and Vance attributed it to his and Anni's interventions and Garrett's own saint-like patience. They entered a stairwell and Garrett proceeded to check the down-flight and the stairs leading up.

"_Always thorough.... He creeps me out, like a machine that one."_ Vance thought.

"We're clear heading up, but we should go down." Garrett stated.

"Who died and made you leader? If we head up, we can cross the roofs safely." Kyle retorted.

"_Aw shit... Here we go..." _Vance covered his face in frustration.

They couldn't afford an argument here and Garrett tried to convey that to Kyle, but the young mohawk-toting boy wasn't the sharpest crayon in the drawer. He progressively got louder and louder and Garrett spoke less and less with each blow until he stood and simply watched the other man talk. Annissina tried to calm him down, but couldn't this time. He was simply too riled over being told what to do.

"I'm don't want to listen to your fucking orders anymore! I'm going up and if you want to live, I suggest you come with me!"

Kyle turned and started up the stairs, his shotgun out and ready. Vance looked at Garrett and Annissina and shrugged before following him. Anni had turned and started to follow but Garrett held her back. She shot him a concerned glance, which he answered with one finger.

"_Shhh." _He signed. _"two minutes."_

That's how long before he would leave. Or was it the time before they got attacked? Annissina was never perfectly sure.

Thirty seconds passed, Vance and Kyle were on the next floor and working at opening a door. Garrett was lounging against a railing.

One minute, the door was open and the footsteps of the two men could be heard above them.

A minute and a half, A screech is heard downstairs and Anni readies her weapon. Garrett stands up and starts to walk downstairs.

Two minutes. Exactly two minutes after they left Kyle and Vance run down the stairs past Anni, a mob of infected following them. The infected poured from the stairs like a tsunami and Anni jumped over the railing without hesitation. Below, Garrett braced himself and caught her just as Kyle and Vance ran by.

"How did you know they were upstairs!?" Kyle screamed back.

"There were boomer trails leading up!" Garrett yelled as he ran with Annissina.

"Fuck! Boomer?!" Vance shouted, his voice drowned out by the screams of the undead creatures.

They reached a small landing with a half eaten corpse sprawled over it. Garrett just happened to see a small red tube in its hand with a light on it. A pipe bomb.

"Perfect! Keep running!" He called.

The others did as he said and, grabbing the bomb, he flipped a switch and threw the beeping object back up the stairs. The light flashed red and a loud beeping filled the stairwell as Garrett followed his friends down the stairs. The infected swarmed over the bomb and were distracted by the sound, trampling over each other to get at the object. Kyle stopped on the stairs and looked back at them.

"What are they doing?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it and keep running!" Anni replied.

Garrett vaulted over a banister landing next to Vance as Kyle brought up their rear. They were near the bottom of the building now as a large explosion marked the detonation of the pipe bomb. Anni was the first out of the stairwell, and so she looked back to make sure the others got out. Vance quickly followed and Garrett made sure Kyle was safe. Garrett had just managed to enter the doorway when a large chunk of the stairwell fell behind him. He looked back and Annissina gasped. Running through the gore and flames left in the wake of the explosion, a giant mob of infected were pouring down the stairs toward them, being led by a gigantic blob of rotten flesh. The boomer had managed to avoid being destroyed by the explosion due to the sheer number of fetid corpses that had been shielding it.

It waddled down the stairs with impressive speed and a gurgling sound was heard as it came closer. The creature screeched at the group and a stream of disgusting, stinking fluid was spewed across the doorway. Garrett had managed to duck, but Anni and Kyle were covered by the sticky fluid.

"AH!!!" Kyle screamed as the fluid got into his eyes and blinded him.

"Nasty!" Anni shouted.

Garrett and Vance opened fire on the mob and mowed down a good number of them before the stairwell gave way with a loud crash and blocked the doors. Behind them the sounds of crunching limbs and pained howls were growing louder. Footsteps were rushing toward them from the outside.

"Shit... It's the bile!" Garrett shouted.

Anni and Kyle started to wipe what they could of the disgusting sludge off of their clothes. Garrett and Vance worked to barricade their position with an almost militaristic efficiency, barring doors and blocking windows. Vance tried to pass the time by talking to Garrett.

"So Garrett? What did you do before Hell came to Earth?" He asked.

Silence.

"What? You mute now?" He got irritated.

"No." Garrett replied. "I just like to... collect my thoughts before I speak." He looked around the room and made sure that the room was adequately secured. "Well, that's the best we are going to get."

"So..." Vance pressed.

He looked at Kyle and Annissina. "Hurry up guys. They'll be here soon."

Vance was getting frustrated. "HEY! I was talking to you!"

Garrett sighed. "I didn't do anything special before this."

"That's a lie." Vance said. "I want to know more about you. Surely you weren't always this paranoid."

"Actually... he was." Annissina said. She had cleaned the sludge from her jacket and walked over. "I remember even when we were children he was always looking over his shoulder."

She smiled at him and he gave her a half grin back.

"Seriously?" Vance coughed roughly. "Well, ain't that some shit."

"Fuck...and I just thought you were a zombie freak." Kyle chimed. He too had cleaned himself and wandered back to the group.

Garrett shrugged and walked to a door. He cracked it open just enough to see and then shut it again.

"We have trouble." He said. "The blast doors are just down the hall."

"Well, that sounds good actually." Vance stated. "What's the trouble?"

"The trouble is, there's a witch right outside the door." He pointed at the door. "The mob doesn't know we are in here yet, but they will if the witch screams."

Kyle laughed so hard he thought he would piss himself. "You think that's gonna stop me?!" He kicked the door open with a loud bang and sprinted next to the witch.

Garrett tried to stop him but couldn't as Kyle raised his shotgun level with the witch's head and pulled the trigger. The creatures brains were splattered over the floor before it had a chance to turn toward the group.

"Easy as pie." Kyle sneered.

"Easy? You could've gotten us..."

The sound of rushing feet cut him off.

"Shit! Get in the room! GO!" The four of them ran for the bright red door.

Just as they reached it, Garrett tripped. He rolled onto his back and started moving toward the door and Anni grabbed the collar of his shirt. She dragged him along as he kicked and shot at the infected biting and grabbing at his feet. His heavy boots were crushing faces and snapping necks with horrifying ease, as though he had done this before. Anni unloaded her pistol into the undead creatures and managed to drag him into the room. Kyle and Vance slammed the door shut with extreme difficulty, smashing a zombie's arm in the doorway.

They had found safety... for the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Left4Dead: A Bloody Good Time

Chapter 3 - Death of a Salesman

The room was fairly comfortable, as far as shelters go. There was room for the four survivors to spread out and while Vance and Kyle checked the guns; reloading, cleaning, and doing what repairs they could, Garrett marked their progress on his town map. Annissina meanwhile, rested on a couch that happened to be in the room and rested her eyes for a moment.

"So... how close are we?" Vance questioned.

"At least an hour...maybe two." Garrett answered, unable to peel his eyes from the map.

"You gonna tell me anymore about yourself?" Vance continued.

Silence filled the room. Garrett remained silent, Annissina shot him a glance then looked at Vance. Kyle seemed to ignore all of them, still checking all the guns.

"Garrett...doesn't like to talk about himself..." Annissina muttered.

"Why not?" Vance pressed. "Is he hiding something? I saw how you cracked those skulls. Where did you learn that?" He stared at Garrett curiously.

Again Garrett remained silent. Vance was starting to become upset so Anni decided to speak for Garrett, despite the obvious protest he would give.

"Well, Garrett used to be a martial artist before all this." She looked at him with a sideways glance, but he seemed to show no interest in the conversation. "I... never thought he would have to use his skills like this though..." She turned back to Vance.

"And why is he so paranoid?" He asked. "Even in these times he is far too cautious, and he knows too much. How did he know the Boomer was upstairs?"

Anni glanced at Kyle, who shrugged. "He...is different... he has always been really paranoid and as far as the boomer... I don't know how he notices these things... but it's kept us alive this long."

Garrett shot her a look that spoke silently. _Don't say anything..._ The look silenced her immediately in spite of Vance's continued protests. He rolled up the map and took his guns back from Kyle.

"We should start moving. We want to try and make it there before dark."

The group re-equipped themselves and made sure that everything was in order before glancing out of the opposite door. The window was knocked out, but had steel bars welded over the gap. Garrett looked as far as he could in either direction from behind the door, poking the gun out as he did so. Moaning permeated the area but there wasn't any signs of infected.

They filed out of the room and made sure that all of their flanks were covered. Making a steady pace they continued following the road, winding their way through areas piled with rubble and blocked roads. Dusk fast set upon the group but not a single sign of the infected appeared the whole trip.

"It's quiet..." Garrett murmured.

He glanced around and noticed that there were no signs of the infected at all. No bodies, no blood, not even a trail of where they could have gone. Had they found a safe area?

"Impossible..."

"What?" Vance asked, not bothering to keep his voice low.

"There aren't any signs of the infected... nothing at all." Garrett replied. "I've never seen this before..."

Vance glanced around the area, noticing for the first time what Garrett had known for a while now. The area was eerily barren. The only sound they could hear was wind... low, guttural wind. Wind that didn't sound...natural. The entire group was on edge now, walking back to back, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Garrett especially was paranoid, glancing wildly around as they travelled. His eyes were moving so fast Anni wondered how he could spot anything if he had even saw it. Annissina however was becoming paranoid as well, the wind really getting on her nerves. It sounded pained, yet somehow... hungry...

"This isn't normal guys..." Kyle said. "Their should've been something by now!"

Garrett nodded and continued to watch their surroundings. His paranoia was starting to rub off on the group, causing Kyle and Vance to look wildly in all directions. The wind slowly changed from a guttural breeze to a low moaning, the sound scratching at the edges of the survivors minds. Then, from nowhere, a piercing howl rang out through the empty parking lot. All four of the group covered their ears from the head-splitting sound. Hurrying across the lot, he survivors traveled warily know that at any moment they could be ambushed... but by what? The question weighed heavily on Garrett's mind. What was following them? It was almost like whatever it was, was... hunting them...

"Oh shit..." Garrett mumbled.

He caught movement from the corner of his eye, but it was gone before he could get a bead on what it was. Anni did the same... in the opposite direction. Kyle and Vance also swung around wildly noting shadows and noises like people moving. The group continued to work their way to the shopping center, but they had lost precious time being more cautious than usual.

"Hunters... I should have known..."

"Hunter_s?_ As in plural?!" Kyle moaned. "That's bullshit! I though they worked alone!"

"I did too." Garrett replied. " But apparently they have taken from our example." He motioned with his hand at the group.

"No matter. We'll just blast their heads open and be on our way!" Vance strode bravely into an alleyway.

Garrett shook his head. "It won't be that easy Vance! Hunters are fast and vicious!"

A low growl set Garrett on edge and he watched the rooftops as they made their way through the alley.

"I hate zombies!" Annissina groaned. "They give me the creeps!"

The growl got louder and was soon joined by one more... two more... they were gathering...

"Vance... come back here..." Garrett cautioned.

"Yeah dude, just let it go..." Kyle chimed.

"Bullshit!" Vance shouted. "I ain't scared of some scrawny little motherfucker with a hoodie and sharp nails! Come out ya limy bastards!" Vance shouted.

He unloaded a few rounds into the sky from his rifle. The gunshots were loud and echoed in the empty alley. The growling stopped. Vance beamed widely and turned around to face the group. Kyle and Anni were horrified. Garrett was pissed. Not only had Vance given their position away, he had done so in an enclosed area with only two means of escape... forward and back.

Garrett grabbed Vance by the throat and nearly lifted his off the ground.

"You idiot!" He hissed. "You could get us killed!"

Vance scratched at Garrett's hands, unable to free himself. His face turned red, then a sickly blue before Anni touched Garrett's arm. He snapped out of his rage and released Vance who stumbled backward and leaned against a wall, coughing and trying to catch his breath. Kyle and Garrett continued to walk down the alley, while Anni helped Vance get back on his feet. The sounds of the infected were getting stronger and soon it would be night. The perfect time to hunt...


	4. Chapter 4 A loss is a loss

Chapter 4 A loss is a loss...

The sun set quickly on the group, the darkness quickly chilling the group to the bone. Their breath created clouds of warm air, Anni huddled next to Garrett for warmth while Kyle and Vance shuffled and rubbed their hands to warm themselves. The wind blew softly, bringing the stench of death and decay into the alleyway and causing the sounds of the hunters to sound as if they were coming and going.

Several times during the night they were attacked by infected but never more than five or six at a time. Garrett moved the survivors through several buildings but again they were forced into an alley as the roads were blocked by wrecked cars and military blockades. The growls were growing louder the closer to the super market they got. Blood stains covered the walls and the pink chunks of splattered brains spattered the walls like a macabre paint job.

"What should we do Garrett?" Annissina asked. "Those hunters sound like they are getting closer..."

"I know... but we can't do anything until they show themselves..." Garrett watched the walls and rooflines carefully.

Sometimes his paranoia scared Annissina but she knew that it had saved them more than once. Finally one of the hunters screeched from the roof. The survivors cringed at the sound and Garrett and Vance immediately gazed skyward. The hunter was dressed in a gray hooded sweatshirt, duct-taped to its body. The creatures face was covered by the shadows of the hood and his nails had grown extremely long and glinted sharp in the moonlight.

The infected creature crawled down the wall with surprising ease, its claws gripping and tearing into the bricks on the side of the building. Garrett opened fire on the hunter, bullets tearing into the wall and leaving pock-marked holes from missed rounds. Several shots struck the hunter but missed all the vital points, barely hitting the creatures extremities. The infected sped down the wall with amazing speed, dodging bullets easily.

It closed with the ground and sped toward the group leaping like an animal straight for Garrett. The survivors quickly downed the beast, filling it with holes. Several more screeches filled the air as the rest of the hunters in the area heard their companion die. Shadows appeared on the rooftops... easily two dozen hunters crouching over the group, surveying their prey.

Garrett's eyes filled with realization and fear. There was only one way to survive this.

"RUN!!!" Garrett screamed.

He grabbed Anni's hand and dragged her behind him, running as quick as his body could carry him. Kyle followed close behind, letting shotgun blasts loose at random targets and directions. Vance brought up the rear of the group also shooting his rifle at shadows. Running out of the alley the hunters followed them, a writhing mass of jumping bodies and slicing claws.

The super market was in view but Garrett doubted they could run the whole way before they got caught. He quickly spun around and threw Anni behind him.

"Keep moving!" Garrett shouted as he shoved Kyle past him as well.

He opened fire with his AK 47 mowing down two of the hunters. Vance turned and ran as did Garrett. The group kept moving and quickly closed on the markets doors. Annissina and Kyle made it inside and locked most of the doors before unloading their weapons into the horde of infected hunters. Garrett dived through one of the doors, using the skills he learned in his martial studies to roll over the ground and quickly turn, opening fire himself. Vance attempted to make it inside but a hunter had managed to get on top of the awning and drop down on top of Vance.

He screamed in pain as the hunter ripped at his body. Garrett and Kyle killed the hunter and started to run and pull him inside... hut stopped short. Anni was stunned! How could they not rescue him? Her eyes were pulled upward as Garrett locked the doors and shut the steel shutters. The hunters were gathering en masse and had nearly reached them.

"Garrett! How could you!?"

Garrett's body was stiff, his face cast downward, looking at Vance. Anni could swear she saw him mouth something and Vance nodded before rolling over and raising his rifle and unloading the last of his ammo into the swarm.

"We have to move..." Garrett said sullenly.

He turned and walked away from the door as Vance's screams of pain were drowned out by the sound of the hunters ripping his body to pieces, the sickening crunch of broken bones and wet splattering of his blood being spread on the doors. Annissina stared in horror at the display of primal hunger and looked at Garrett. His face was downcast and full of sorrow. He had wanted to save him, she realized. But he couldn't sacrifice all of their safety for one person... It was the end of the world after all.


	5. Chapter 5 Preparing for the Worst

Chapter 5 Preparing for the Worst.

** The store had been looted more than Garrett had expected. Most of the food was already gone or spoiled, and the ammo dumps were cleaned pretty thoroughly. He managed to find enough to restock their ammo enough to keep going. The noise of the infected outside was deafening, more of them having showed up to feed on what little remained of Vance, his bloody skeleton acting as a beacon and showing the infected that their were more victims waiting to be turned into dinner in the glowing building.**

** Annissina had accepted Vance's demise but couldn't pull herself to leave his memory behind. Kyle was off gathering food and water for them to refresh themselves while they had a moments respite, so she followed Garrett until they were alone and out of earshot. He seemed to not care, or at least he didn't show it. Garrett had a habit of being able to do that. He had a mental fortitude that stood firm when other 'mere mortals' would become very upset or go crazy. Sometimes this fortitude upset Anni, sometimes it gave her the support she needed.**

**"Why didn't you save him?" Anni asked. "Surely you could've done something..."**

**Garrett sighed. "There wouldn't have been any point..." Garrett looked her square in the eye. His eyes were cold and calculating.**

**"I understand that it could've been him... or all of us... but..." Her voice trailed off, her comments answering her own question. She looked at her feet, her feelings becoming jumbled between logic and emotions.**

** Garrett nodded to himself, knowing that she understood now. She had learned a lot about letting people go in the apocalypse but she was still sensitive. More sensitive than Garrett had probably ever been. He finished filling their bags with ammo before turning and walking to the food section. **

**"We need to get some food in our systems. Go grab something you like. I can probably jimmy rig a camping stove so we can cook something up. The infected already know we are here so I doubt we need to hide our fires." Garrett offered, looking at the different piles of meat, trying to find some that wasn't rotten.**

** Annissina nodded and went to wander the aisles, trying to find some of her favorite snacks and foods. She loved chicken rolls, but doubted that the biscuits and cheese needed to make them were still good. She sighed dejectedly and continued to grab random side dishes. She gathered several different things; boxed potatoes, chips, and boxed mac and cheese. **

** Kyle returned soon, having found food and water for the trip, things that wouldn't spoil or become rotten soon. He dumped several bags full of supplies near the middle aisle where Garrett had set his camp up. Spotting him Garrett waved a hand and grabbed a few things from the nearby racks - mostly new clothes.**

**"Kyle, can you do me a HUGE favor?" Garrett asked not looking away from what he was doing.**

**"Depends. What is it?" Kyle replied, hoping it wasn't too much work.**

**"I just need you to go and grab a camping stove and some propane canisters from camping goods." **

**"Fine, doesn't sound too hard." Kyle turned and walked away, mumbling under his breath. **

** He hated asking people to help him, but he couldn't do it all on his own. Not in the amount of time they had. They had to eat, re-dress, sleep, and hopefully eat breakfast before they got the hell out of dodge. Garrett's maps already had new lines planning routes to the nearest hotel, their next target. It was about ten miles away but might as well have been a hundred. The number of infected had been growing the past few days...**

** 6 billion people on the planet. Now... at least half if not more were these fucking zombies. There wasn't enough ammo to kill them all. There only hope was to group up and try to find somewhere safe. That was his plan. Get as many of their group as possible to the nearest airport where they could radio someone or fly to safety. He had heard someone on the radio broadcasting that he could provide transport for someone, but only if they made it to the airport. Garrett hoped it wasn't a lie...**

** The sounds outside were getting louder. **_**I doubt there will be time for breakfast...**_** Garrett thought to himself. He found Annissina and called her over saying that it was time to get changed. He had found clothes for everyone but Kyle. He had a habit of being difficult so Garrett figured he could pick his own damn clothes out. For himself Garrett had chosen a light short sleeve shirt that was loose enough to allow movement and flexibility while not being easy to grab. This was accented by a pair of thick work style cargo pants. Plenty of pockets for ammo and weapons and thick enough to be nearly water proof.**

** For Anni he set out several different outfits that she could mix and match to her liking. She ended up choosing something similar to Garrett's outfit; the only differences being hers were slightly tighter and the shirt was sleeveless. Kyle returned and set the stove and gas beside the food.**

**"Here's your crap." He stated, huffing. "I'm gonna find me some kick ass clothes since these are ruined." **

** Garrett sighed and opened the box containing the stove and removed it, attaching the propane and lighting it up. He then ripped open a package of chicken breast and a box of mashed potatoes, pouring water from one of the stores jugs into a small pot he had grabbed from the camping area while he was gathering ammo. The fire soon boiled the water and he added the potatoes, and threw the chicken on a small griddle section of the stove.**

**"Sorry my cooking has dimmed a bit since the apocalypse...." Garrett joked lightly. "Not much of a feast eh? I bet mom could've done better..."**

**"It's fine G." Anni placed a hand on his shoulder. "She'd be happy that we have done so much... and that you're alive at all."**

** Garrett had lost his mother quickly in the infection, she and his father both being infected and both were shortly dispatched by their son. He wasn't close to his father but he was very close to his mother, they were more like friends than family. She had taught him everything and the loss was unbearable.**

** Dinner was actually fairly jovial, the group being able to talk freely for the first time in quite a while. They told each other jokes and stories about times before the infection, but the constant banging and moaning was a constant reminder of what lay just outside the makeshift fortress. The dinner was filling and quite good, but it wasn't overly spectacular. The sound of glass breaking startled the group.**

**"What was that!?" said Kyle. **

**"It sounded like glass... The metal grates should hold them back a bit longer but not forever." Garrett responded. "So much for getting some sleep." **

** The three survivors stood and made the last preparations before sneaking out the back of the store, killing the few infected that were smart enough to go around the building. They strode into the darkness just past the parking lot as the infected broke into the store, howling and screaming at the realization that their dinner had escaped...**


	6. Chapter 6 Another Survivor?

Left4Dead Chapter 6 – (WIP) Another survivor…?

The night was passing by quickly and the group wouldn't last in the day time. The infected would be able to see them even easier and the sun's heat would eventually wear them down, which meant that they would travel even slower than they already were.

Kyle groaned at the sound of the store being broken into as they reached the edge of the woods just past the parking lot. The infected would sniff them out again soon, and Garrett didn't want to be around when they did. He had remembered a spot on his map that had looked promising…. a gun store. Maybe they could barricade it and get some sleep before moving out again. It seemed like a sound plan, especially now that all three survivors had backpacks full of food and water.

"So what's out next destination oh great leader?" Kyle hissed venomously. "Your last plan didn't seem to pan out quite how you expected did it?"

Garrett stayed silent, watching the woods. Anni decided She would tell Kyle the plan before he got loud.

"We are heading for a gun shop," she answered, "it was my idea… maybe we can hole up there for a few days."

Garrett nodded and added, "Besides, you can practice your aim with all that ammo just sitting around." He chuckled lightly.

Kyle scoffed and pushed his way to the head of the pack, but quickly fell in line again once he realized he had no idea where they were going. The woods were fairly sparse, and the trees were set apart from one another, which was a good thing. That meant a far higher amount of visibility for the survivors and less chance of being ambushed. The moans and sounds of crunching leaves and twigs meant that the zombies were getting closer though, and soon enough would be on top of the group.

Garrett looked around and signaled to the group to slow down. He thought he had seen something but couldn't be sure as the shadows obscured their vision badly, and the early morning mist didn't help. The sounds of the infected were getting closer and the sun was starting to rise – they would have to hurry. It was about five miles to the gun store, a long trek on foot as is let alone one in a firefight.

Suddenly a howl pierced the night air and a hunter leaped from a tree branch and tackled Kyle, dragging him to the ground. The creature started to rip at his clothes with its sharp claws, but Garrett and Annissina were prepared and started unloading shells into the beast before it did any serious damage to the other survivor.

"Thanks…" Kyle said between gasping breaths. "That was a close one…"

Garrett nodded and helped him up while Anni watched their flanks. It was bad, the infected knew where they were now and there would be no stopping them once they locked onto their new scent. By the time the group made it out of the forest they had left a bloody trail in their wake, blood painting the trees, brains splattered against the trunks like a pink moss and a line of corpses hundreds of bodies long. When the survivors reached the nearest street two hours had passed.

"Finally!" Anni sighed in relief, "A real road! Maybe now we can make some good time!"

"Yeah," Garrett agreed, "And it's nearly clear, start looking for cars with keys still in them, maybe we can get lucky and drive the rest of the way."

Garrett and Anni started looking for cars with keys, but Kyle was nowhere to be found. Garrett just figured he was off looting some poor bastards unused belongings when he heard a loud guttural sound from behind him. He spun rapidly bringing his rifle to bear with a practiced precision.

He lowered the gun quickly however, because rather than a zombie, he saw Kyle sitting in the driver's seat of a well running Mustang. Garrett had smiled for the first time since leaving the store and beckoned Annissina over. When she saw the car running her face broke into a giddy smile and she giggled happily.

"Come! Oh princess of zombies! Your chariot waits!" Garrett joked.

"Oh ha ha! Very funny you ass!" Anni retorted.

The other two survivors jumped into the car and decided that since Kyle had gotten it working, that it was only fair that he be the one who got to drive it and he did with great pleasure. He grinned maliciously as he plowed through the wreckage on the road, corpses and zombies alike. The car was a moving weapon and they planned to take full advantage of it.

Garrett laughed as the car thudded over dead flesh and the sound of crunching bones filled the air. It was a truly frightening sight. Anni covered her ears, hoping that she could drown out the sounds of the death around them. She didn't have trouble accepting it but the sounds still grated at the sides of her mind. She still remembered her life before hell came to earth.

"How long til we get there?" Kyle called over the roar of the engine.

'Not long." Garrett replied, "10 minutes if the roads stay clear."

No sooner had he finished his sentence than a lumbering shape came into view, an ironic malformation of infected muscle, with a tiny head on its massive shoulders, a tank as people had come to call them. The zombie stood easily 8 feet tall and walked using its hands to propel itself forward like some enormous ape. It saw the car approaching it quickly and turned to face it.

"Shit!" Kyle yelled.

He turned the wheel and tried to avoid the tank but they were moving too fast to get away. The tank roared loudly and held a fist up before pounding it into the hood of the car, instantly stopping it and lifting the back wheels off the road. Kyle and Anni screamed, but Garrett was silent. At first anni thought he was just being quiet like usual until she saw his head drooped forward. He was unconscious. The tank roared again and ripped the front end of the car off with its bare fists, exposing the cabin to the air outside.

Kyle scrambled out of the ruined door and started to pump shotgun shells into the giant zombie while Anni tried to unbuckle Garrett from his seat. The tank swung at Kyle and sent him flying. He landed several yards away in the grassy median. The creature turned its attention back to the car where its next meal was supposed to be sitting, but the humans had moved. Annissina had Garrett by arms and was dragging him backwards as fast as she could, but due to his weight and her strength they hadn't gotten very far. She dropped him and unloaded an entire clip from her machine gun, but the beast kept coming.

It bounded toward her faster than such a big thing ought to be able to move and its huge fists barely missed crushing Garrett's head as it ran past. It picked Anni up, its hand covering her entire body and threw her back near the edge of the woods. The sensation of flying shook her and landing on the hard ground disoriented her badly.

The tank lumbered over to Garrett and picked him up by the leg, holding him over its tiny head. It watched him to see if there were any signs of life, its milky white eyes too distracted to notice the shotgun coming up behind it. Kyle took aim and fired, the shell ripping a large chunk of flesh from the infected's bicep. It howled in pain and turned around to face the interloper, which was its final mistake, because when it had turned fully Kyle pulled the trigger again and the miniature head on the beast was popped open like a bloody zit, the blood and brain matter landing on its shoulders and the pavement beyond in wet chunks.

The creature fell, its heavy body shaking the ground like a small earthquake and dropping Garrett with a loud thud. Garrett was still unconscious but luckily he had no serious injuries. Anni made her way back over from the forest's edge.

"We need to get out of here…" She said groggily.

"Yeah." Kyle agreed, trying to pick Garrett up, "Damn! Fucker's heavy!"

Anni shot him a warning glance that told him to shut his mouth, "We are going to need to help each other carry him," She pulled the map from Garrett's pocket, "There's a small camp site near here, we could probably find a spot to hole up until he wakes up."

Kyle nodded and slung Garrett's limp form over his shoulders and followed Anni down the road a short distance. There was a sign that read 'Camp Ohio – Turn right now' that signaled their destination. It was only a short walk from the turnoff luckily and what few other infected they saw on the way either didn't notice them or attacked in groups of 3 or 4 at the most.

The room they decided to use was the old main office. It had a locking door, although it was wood, so it wouldn't last long in a concentrated attack. Kyle set Garrett down in a corner and moved a heavy Birch wood desk on its side in front of the door for an added level of protection. It had only one window, which looked into the lobby and a small couch that he and Anni could take turns sleeping on if Garrett didn't wake up quickly.

"I guess we just wait now." Kyle stated. He knew he was right.

"Yeah, I hope he's okay…." Anni sat by his side and held his hand, watching him for any signs of movement.

She felt a pulse so she knew he was still alive, but he could have internal bleeding, a ruptured lung or any other number of injuries from the vehicle being stopped so abruptly.

She looked at Kyle with gentle eyes, "Why don't you get some sleep?"

"Sure." Kyle nodded and went to lay on the couch, leaving Anni to sit with her boyfriend. "If you get tired just wake me up okay?"

Annissina nodded, still watching Garrett. She wouldn't wake him, he knew, but he would make her sleep if they stayed for very long.


	7. Chapter 7 Gun Shop

**Chapter 7 - The gun shop**

The wind blew terribly, slamming wood shutters against the side of the old camp master's building. Anni had fallen asleep leaning against Garrett and Kyle was still passed out on the couch, his legs hanging off the arm rest. Six hours had passed and there was still no sign of change from the unconscious boy. Annissina didn't wasn't to leave him there, but they couldn't just carry him everywhere. He was just simply too big. Kyle had told her that if he didn't wake up by the next morning, he would leave, with or without her.

She knew that it was the wisest thing to do, but her feelings for Garrett wouldn't let her believe he was done so close to the end of their journey. Only a few more miles to the airport and they could signal the plane to come and pick them up, just a few more miles….

She stirred in her sleep, the noises of the infected giving her dreams a dark edged lining to her silver cloud. She stopped dreaming so that she could sleep just a little longer. Movement at her side made her jump and reflexively pulled one of her twin pistols from her belt. She aimed the gun at the moving things head and nearly pulled the trigger before she realized… Garrett was moving!

"Garrett!" She holstered her gun and kneeled next to him, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay!?"

Garrett groaned loudly, rubbing a hand over his head and hissing in pain as it brushed over a raw part of his scalp that hadn't healed from the accident yet. He removed his hand, which was now covered in dried blood flakes that had stuck in his hair. He looked around the room with a single open eye, and frowned.

"Where… where are we?" He moved groggily. "What… happened?"

"We are at a campsite trying to get some rest before we start moving again," She explained, "and as far as what happened, a tank took out the car and almost killed you." She huggeded him tightly, "You almost died! The tank tried to grab you after you fell unconscious, but we got you out of the car and killed it."

Garrett looked over at Kyle and tried to get out of the grip she had on him. "Are you two okay…?"

This was typical of Garrett; he worried about other people's wounds when he was a lot worse off. He tried to downplay his own weakness by protecting other people from theirs.

"We're fine…" Anni replied. "The tank barely paid any attention to us." She smiled and let go of the wounded boy.

Garrett flinched as he stood up, his ribs and back snapping back into place. He sounded like a bucket of popcorn popping and the feeling was a mix of pain and relief. The good news was, nothing was broken. The bad news, well… Let's say that he won't be running very fast. The accident had knocked his kneecap out of place, which no one noticed until he stood up. The bone was about four inches to the left of where it should be. The injury didn't surprise Garrett - his knees had always been bad so he just chalked this one up to being bad luck. He sat back down and pulled his pants leg up over his knee. The damage was worse than he thought, his knee was messed up, his ankle had swelled and turned purple, probably dislocated in the wreck, and he had several fresh cuts running up his leg.

"Shit." He mumbled as he saw the extent of his injuries. "That won't help."

Annissina had turned away to wake Kyle up but looked over when she heard Garrett speak. She covered her mouth when she saw the injuries Garrett had sustained. the sudden realization that she and Kyle never checked him for any possible hemorrhaging or fractures rushed over her like a wave. In fact, they hadn't really checked him at all.

"Anni; can you grab me some towels and a piece of wood please?" Garrett asked with a fake smile on his face.

"Sure…" She said, completely dumbfounded that she hadn't thought of looking for these things. "Here…"

She returned quickly with a few beach towels and a walking stick from the corner of the room. Garrett happily took them, wrapping the stick in one towel and using the others to wipe up the dried blood. He made sure that the cuts were superficial and suspected they were from the fact that he hadn't bled out.

"I suggest you cover your ears…" He stated.

Garrett bit down on the stick and placed a hand on either side of his knee. He took a deep breath and quickly slid the kneecap back into place with a wet clicking sound. He shut his watering eyes and bit harder on the stick, his face turning red from the effort of not screaming in pain.

Anni wished she had covered her ears since the noise sickened her. She shut her eyes and looked away. Garrett took several deep breaths before he felt his ankle. The purple flesh was spongy and sensitive but it had numbed quite a bit while he was unconscious. It wasn't broken, but it was badly sprained. He wouldn't be running or even walking any time soon.

"Anni…" Garrett said through watery eyes. "Do you know how to make a splint?"

"Yes. Let me see if I can find some materials…" She turned and searched the cabinets in the room but only returned with two table legs. "I'll have to use the towels for bandages."

Garrett shook his head. "Look in my bag, I should have some in there."

She did as he asked and sure enough, he had an entire roll of medical bandages.

"The store?" She asked. Garrett nodded slowly.

She worked to splint his swollen leg, the kneecap was now starting to bruise as well and turned an ugly yellow. Kyle woke a short time later and was relieved to see Garrett awake.

"At least we won't have to carry your fat ass now." He grinned.

"Yeah," Garrett replied tiredly. "I wouldn't want you to work too hard."

Anni smiled warmly and helped Garrett to his feet. He said he could walk on his own so they shouldn't wait for him. He limped to the barricaded door and pressed his ear against the wood. He couldn't hear anything but that was never a sure sign.

"How long have we been here?" He asked, to no one in particular.

"Around…six hours, give or take." Kyle said looking at his watch. "We haven't had any troubles with the zombies though."

Garrett nodded and asked if Kyle could remove the barricade.

"It might take me some time, but yeah." He started heaving the desk and pieces of random furniture away from the door.

Garrett reached into his pocket and felt around but something was missing. He looked over at Anni and held his hand out, asking for something. She thought for a moment then realized,_ I still have his map!_ She gave it back and blushed.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I would've done the same." He smiled.

He unfolded the map and traced lines with his fingers, tacking where they had been and where their destination was. He found the campsite with Anni's help and soon mapped a route that would get them to the gun shop without much difficulty. The shop was close, no more than 10 minutes walk, even with his injured leg.

"All done!" Kyle huffed.

The barricade was down, and soon enough the group was back on the road walking for their destination. Kyle led the front with directions from Garrett who was limping along in the middle with Anni bringing up the rear.


	8. Chapter 8 The gun stor cowboy

Chapter 8 – The Gun Store Cowboy

The cold air felt good on Garrett's throbbing wounds. In a normal situation he would be off his feet for at least a month, but they didn't have that kind of time. He gritted his teeth and hobbled on, trying to keep up with Kyle and Anni. They slowed down to accommodate him, but he was very badly injured and slowed down with each passing minute. The trio had to stop several times so he could catch his breath and rest for a few moments.

The undead beasts never stopped though; they kept attacking the entire time and soon the survivors would run out of ammo. It was lucky then, that the gun store was a short distance away. A few minutes longer and the group found themselves outside a large gun shop; its windows and doors had been boarded up and had steel rebar reinforcements. Painted on the outermost layer of wood, just over the door, was a large red warning to anything that could read. 'KEEP OUT'.

Garrett grinned inwardly and hobbled up to the door with the help of Annissina. He banged three times on the door. A faint click replied to his call; not a lock being undone though. The click was too soft, more like the hammer on a gun being cocked. Garrett knew he looked more like a zombie than he would have preferred but, it had been unavoidable.

"I heard you in there! Can you let us in?" He called out.

A muffled voice replied from behind the nearest window. "Ain't no way in God's green Earth am I openin' that door."

"We need ammo! We can pay you!" Garrett responded.

"You seen the world?" The muffled voice retorted. "Money ain't gonna do anyone much good anymore."

Garrett could tell that the owner had been stuck in his shop for a while. He had a thought strike him.

"Anni." He whispered. "How much food is left in the packs?"

Anni looked at him oddly, but searched the bags anyway. She returned to Garrett's side within a minute and whispered, "About 3 days worth for all three of us. We packed plenty."

Garrett nodded and hobbled over to the window, his hands up and in the air – showing the man that he held no weapons. Kyle watched him, his shotgun lowered and Anni stayed by the door.

"We can trade you some food. We have plenty." Garrett offered. He knew food would be a commodity out here. "All we want is some ammo and a place to lie down for a few hours."

There was a silence. No answer came from the window, not even footsteps or the sound of a gun loading its chamber. Garrett listened intently and the other two survivors watched him. Soon enough footsteps were moving away from the window and back toward where Anni stood. Garrett looked over at her and lowered his hands; telling her and Kyle to put their guns away. The door opened slowly and the barrel of a hunting rifle greeted Annissina. She quickly put her hands up, as did Kyle. Garrett hobbled over and stood in front of Anni.

"I'm going to reach into my bag… and pull out some food… okay…?" Garret said slowly.

The response was a quick nod of the gun. Garrett had Anni set the bag in front of him and he struggled to get to his uninjured knee; using Anni for support. He flipped the top of the bag open and reached in with one hand. The gun cocked and stared at Garrett; waiting for some sign to loose a shot. Garrett slowly pulled a bag of Chex Mix from his bag and offered it to the door; which opened quickly to reveal a man wearing an outfit that looked like it was from an old western movie.

"Get in here. NOW." He stated bluntly.

Anni helped Garrett off the ground and quickly moved him into the store. Kyle followed and nodded to the cowboy, who nodded in response. It was an old way of saying 'Hello' that most people knew. Anni sat Garrett on a couch and set the bags near his feet.

'So," Garrett started, "Let's make our deal." He waved the cowboy over.

He finished barricading his door again and walked over to the injured boy, his boots thudding on the hardwood floor. He wore faded blue jeans and a flannel shirt, a large cowboy hat and thick cowboy boots. He looked the group over quickly, lingering on Garrett's leg and Kyle.

"First, introductions." The cowboy said, "My name's Leeroy. What's yours?"

"I'm Annissina, or Anni for short." Anni stated.

"Kyle." The boy chimed.

"Garrett," The injured boy nodded in response, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Leeroy smiled, "Now about this food deal. I will provide ammo and shelter for the night; you provide me with three meals. I need breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Garrett nodded and pulled the bags closer, fishing around inside for the required foodstuffs. He removed a package of pre-cooked bacon, dried eggs, hash browns and a few bagels. For lunch he pulled out a few bags of Ramen noodles. And for dinner he removed a steak that was still good and a box of powdered potatoes.

"This is what we have." Garrett stated. "You're welcome to go through and look for anything you want."

The cowboy grinned so wide that Garrett thought he would rip his cheeks open.

"YEE-HAW!" He called; throwing his hat to the side. "I never thought I'd see a steak again! You got yourself a deal buck-a-roo!"

Garrett smiled and slid the food over to the cowboy. Maybe they would be able to stay here for a while.

A few hours passed and the visitors were asleep. They had taken quite a bit of ammo, but Leeroy had plenty. The cowboy stood on the roof and picked zombies off using his scoped 'Marlin M444' rifle. It had been his favorite for hunting deer before the event and he still loved the solid kick it gave. Picking zombies had become his new pastime and he was getting good at it. Eight out of every ten shots were straight through the brain.

The sun was rising slowly on the horizon; he would normally be waking up at this time. The hours flew by and he soon forgot about rushing the kids out into the thick of the undead. They were just children; and he had always been told "Do unto others, as you would have done unto you." He smiled, remembering the lessons his mother would try and tell him; lessons that he was always too busy shooting his bb gun to listen to. One of the dead things moaned and snapped him out of his daydreaming. He lined up the sights and dropped the creature with a loud pop and watched its gray brains splatter on the concrete.

"Nice shot." A voice said from behind him.

He spun around aiming the gun high and nearly shot but noticed that it was the injured boy. What was his name again? Derrick? He couldn't remember for sure.

"Thanks," He said, not wanting to butcher the young fella's name. "I've had a lot of practice."

"I'll bet," The young boy smiled.

He was using a broken table leg as a makeshift walking cane and leaned on it heavily. He looked out over the horizon and squinted.

"Any idea how far it is to the airport?" He asked.

"I'd say about 10 minutes walk from here; damn things used to fly overhead every half hour."

The boy nodded and consulted a map that he produced from his pocket.

"What's at the airport that you'd be willing to bet so much on?" Leeroy asked.

"We received a transmission a few days ago that told us if we used the radio on the airfield we could get picked up and flown to the military base." He still looked at his map and marked area off with a red pen. No doubt he was crossing off blocked roads that he could see from the roof.

"An airlift? How do you know they're still doing it?" Leeroy couldn't believe his ears. This young man was staking everything on a 'chance' that they may make it out alive.

"I don't." The boy replied, replacing the map.

"Where did you come from?" Leeroy was curious now.

"Let's see… I think… it was a small town; I can't even remember the name now." The boy shrugged. "It's about fifteen miles south though."

Leeroy nodded; he knew where he was talking about and realized that they had managed to wade straight through the thickest part of the horde. They must have gone through hell to get where they were and the worst injury the survivors had was his injured leg.

"Well, come on; let's get some food in your bellies." Leeroy stood and walked back down to the ground floor and started cooking the breakfast that he had received from the trio. Garrett hobbled around the store on the makeshift cane and woke the other two kids up. They stretched and yawned, Anni trying to smooth down her long auburn hair.

"Bathroom's down the hall and on the left little missy." Leeroy stated.

Annissina nodded groggily and walked toward the bathroom, comb in hand. Kyle stood up and replaced his shirt with a clean one he had stuffed in his bag. Garrett limped to the table and sat down with a thud.

"You have any milk?" He asked.

"Sorry partner, the milk cows have done been ate up already." He tossed the boy a bottle of water instead.

Garrett sighed sadly and examined the bottle carefully.

"What? You don't trust me?" Leeroy asked, clearly hurt.

"It's not that; I'm just…" Garrett began.

"A freak." Kyle finished.

Garrett glared at him and popped the lid of the water, taking a large drink. Anni soon made her way to the table and sat next to Garrett; Kyle sat completely opposite, next to Leeroy's seat.

"So how long have you been here?" Anni asked.

"I lived upstairs before the event. This was my home." Leeroy explained.

"Did you hear about the airlift?" She continued.

"Yeah; your boyfriend told me. I can't leave though."

"What!? Why not? There's room if you come along!" Anni argued.

"I'm sure there is, but this is my HOME. I've been here all my life. I'm gonna be here all my life."

Leeroy smiled and served the breakfast family style. Everyone filled their plates and Leeroy said a short prayer before they dug in, all of them eating like they had never seen food. They were interrupted in the middle of their meal by a loud piercing screech. All of the survivors jumped at the sound and Leeroy clawed out of his seat and scrambled to the window.

The horde had found him at last.

He started up the stairs and the three kids followed him without a word. They made their way to the roof; and immediately knew they were fucked. At least three hundred zombies had followed a hunter who had sniffed the trail of the three strangers. Leeroy asked Kyle to grab some guns and a large box of ammo he had set aside. He made several trips and eventually had everything on the roof. The four survivors each grabbed a gun and opened fire into the horde; each shot hit something without even aiming because the bodies were packed so tightly together.

The burned through ammo quickly and the horde was still getting closer. A hunter jumped and started climbing the walls of the building, screeching commands to the menial zombies like some type of bestial commander. Leeroy aimed straight down and blasted the beast in the face, the shot ripping straight through its body. It fell limp on the ground several feet below and the horde seemed to speed up, spurred on by the death of the higher zombie.

The group kept firing; blood flew and body parts were severed by the sheer number of shots flying through their ranks. Boomers waddled through the crowd but were gunned down before they could get close enough to do any damage to the building. A shattering of glass sounded from below and Garrett rolled onto his back and watched the door carefully. Soon enough the zombies broke the door down and started to funnel onto the roof. The group turned and poured bullets into the doorway, shredding anything that tried to get through.

The horde kept coming; the group kept firing. They worked their way back down into the building where they had a slightly more defensible position. The barred door was beaten in and the windows were shattered although the metal grates had managed to stay mostly intact. They set up firing lines behind the counter of the store, using even more ammo than Leeroy had thought they would. Zombies fell left and right but they just kept on coming. The horde slowed down slightly every time a hunter was killed or a boomer exploded; and their numbers started to dwindle. That was when a loud roar pierced the air.

A tank was smashing its way through the smaller zombies, ripping them apart and throwing them to the side like ragdolls. The enormous form lumbered through the crowd and ripped a portion of the wall off so that it could enter the shop. It snarled as the survivors opened fire; their shots pattering the beast's tough skin like a lead rain. It rushed forward and grabbed Leeroy by the head and crushed his skull like a peanut. The blood gushed from between its massive fingers and the creature tossed the lifeless body to the side. Leeroy didn't even have time to scream. Kyle roared in anger and stood, trying to blast holes in the zombie's hide with his combat shotgun. Garrett and Anni backed away from the thing as fast as they could, peppering it with fire from their automatic rifles.

The tank roared and grabbed Kyle, its giant hands wrapping around his body. He howled in pain as the tank's immense strength crushed him. He pulled the trigger and a large chunk of the beast's hand was blow off, its thick skin unable to protect it from the point-blank range of the shotgun. It dropped Kyle and howled a dreadful cry of anger and pain. It snatched him back up with his other hand before he could get away and used its ruined hand to rip the boy's leg off. The gaping wound gushed blood and the bone stuck out like an off-white knife. Kyle shrieked in pain and shot the zombie, aiming for its face.

The beast blocked the shot with its ruined hand and roared again; this time ripping his other leg off. The creature threw the food to the waiting zombies outside and snarled at the legless boy in its hand. Kyle was nearly unconscious and would soon die from blood loss. He gurgled blood, his voice lost in the torrent of crimson fluid. He raised the gun one last time; a final act of defiance in the face of death and shot one last time, the shot blasting the beast's skull to chunky oblivion.

The zombies grip loosened and Kyle's bloody form plopped to the ground with a wet thud. The tank swayed and Kyle tried to drag himself away, his bloody stumps still trying to move. The massive body of the tank fell on his prone body however and Kyle's body was lost under the massive corpse. Anni screamed in horror and pain; the loss of her brother was too much for her to handle and she went into blood frenzy, running into the thick of the zombie horde and slashing heads from their shoulders and plunging her twin daggers into the skulls of the opposition.

Garrett watched in horror, unable to comprehend the feeling coursing through her veins. He turned his eyes downward and listened to the death. He couldn't aid her with gunfire because there was a chance he would hit her. Instead he steeled himself and ran, drawing a machete on his waist and diving blade-first into the horde next to Annissina.

The beasts swarmed but they were cut down before they had a chance to attack. Soon enough the two remaining survivors were covered in the blood, the numbers of the enemy dwindling until they were so small that they were close to being eradicated. Garrett's leg throbbed with fresh pain and Anni was panting heavily. They would move soon enough…


	9. Chapter 9 The beginning of the end

**Chapter 9 – The Beginning of the End.**

The night was beginning to set on the store. Anni and Garrett had made makeshift graves for their fallen friends; the graves had been empty: the bodies couldn't be recovered. Anni mourned her brother; Kyle wasn't the best person but he was family and that was all that mattered. Garrett let her mourn; he had stopped feeling for the dead a long time ago.

"We need to leave…" He said quietly.

Anni nodded slowly, knowing that he was right. The horde would be back and they couldn't defend the shop; not the two of them alone. The airport wasn't far either; they could probably make it by the end of the afternoon. They made Garrett a makeshift cane from the debris of the store and loaded up on ammo one last time before they started down the long highway. Garrett limped down the road, giving Annissina covering fire whenever they ran into stray zombies.

Garrett cringed and gritted his teeth as he walked; the battle must have opened his wounds again and he had probably started bleeding internally. He didn't let Anni see his pain though, because she would worry more than she had to. His objective was to get her to safety – everything else was secondary.

"We are close…" Garrett mumbled, spotting a sign on the ground for the airport.

"Yeah, let's get a move on!" Anni said, happy that they would be out of this hell soon.

The two survivors turned down the off ramp and made their way toward the large airfield. They shot more creatures along the way; their bodies even more decomposed than the last ones. These beasts must have been dead longer than the others. The fetid stench just got stronger as they got closer to the airport. The streets were stained with blood, remnants of the airport security trying to hold off the invasion.

As they entered the building Garrett noticed spent shell casings littering the floor and discarded bags ripped open and strewn about. Clothes, laptops, phones, guns, toys, and all other manner of objects were dropped a left where they fell. Garrett even saw a half eaten young girl still clutching her favorite teddy bear. The infected hadn't even bothered to finish feasting on the poor child. He coughed up a small amount of blood. _Not much time left…_ he though. He wasn't a doctor, nor did he know a lot about medical problems; but he could tell he wouldn't last. His vision was already becoming blurred.

"Let's get out there… the radio should… be close." He managed to say, his breathing heavy and ragged.

Anni looked at him with concern in her eyes, but he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"I'm fine." He started walking and closed his eyes for a split second.

The airport was deserted other than a few straggling zombies. They were dispatched without much trouble and the two survivors found the radio tower. It was placed near the middle of the airstrip and was actually a fairly nice tower for such a small airport. It had an elevator, which was good news for Garrett. Annissina helped him get settled and they rode to the top, watching as the ground sunk away under them. The elevator doors opened and the stink of stale death washed over the two, the crew having apparently been butchered by a zombie amongst their ranks before they could leave the airborne prison.

A single zombie lay on the ground, surrounded by his formerly living peers. Garrett and Anni made sure to put a round through each corpse's heads, just to make sure. Garrett sat in one of the chairs with a loud thud and tilted his head back, glad to get off his injured leg. He rubbed the knee, the flesh was spongy and sore – it hadn't had a chance to heal properly. He picked up a microphone and tried to figure the controls out.

The console was covered in flashing buttons, dials and odd lights. He had no real idea what he was doing, so he just started guessing. He found a box with a label covered in blood. He wiped some of it away with his finger and smiled to himself when it revealed the word 'Frequency'. He pressed a small button next to the box and the microphone began surfing through available frequencies trying to find an open connection.

For several minutes all that came back was static; but eventually the machine made a small click and Garrett could hear the glory of a silent connection. Someone out there had an open connection – presumably the pilot they were looking for.

"Hello! Hello! Can anyone hear me?" He spoke into the microphone.

No response. He tried again, "Hello? Is anyone there? I have two survivors looking for immediate pickup! We AREN'T bitten! I repeat, we are NOT bitten."

Silence. Garrett sighed and threw his head down, smashing it against the table. He had drug people through hell on this chance. And it had failed. He had led people to their death and he couldn't even give a good excuse why. Anni moved and stood next to the boy and placed an arm on his shoulder.

"It was our best shot…" She said, talking like it was already over. "You couldn't have known." She placed her head on his and breathed deeply, feeling his breathing become ragged again as he coughed heavily, the blood spilling onto the counter.

She stared at him and held him close, about to say something when static emitted from the microphone.

'ou….n..t…. infect…. ight?' A voice came from the static. Garrett scooped up the microphone and started to talk into it.

"No! We are not infected! Please we need pickup!"

'an… there…. 15…. Need….. f…ul…' the voice replied.

"Repeat that please! We can't hear you!" Garrett was trying to clear the channel but for all he knew he could be making it worse.

'Can….there…. in 15…. Need Fuel!'

"We'll have it ready!" Garrett shouted back, the channel going silent once more.

Garrett and Anni nodded to each other and started coming down the elevator again. They escaped the stale room and started moving toward a small gassing station and made sure that fuel was flowing. Garrett hopped into a small cart mover and maneuvered a few stack of crates and other items into a more defensible position; if the plane was loud it would attract the zombies.

Fifteen minutes passed and there was no sign of the promised rescue. Garrett checked his watch and stared at the sky, still sitting in the cart mover. Anni was sitting on a large stack of crates, her rifle constantly pointed on the horizon.

"Where is he?" Garrett mumbled.

"I'm sure he'll be here…" Anni replied, "He said 'around' 15 minutes, not 15 exactly."

Garrett tapped his foot impatiently and was starting to get frustrated. 17 minutes. The pilot was two minutes late. 20 minutes. Five minutes now. At 25 minutes he was about to give up, when the sound of coughing rotors cut the air. The plane was coming in fast and hot, behind the crates and heading straight for the fuel station. It must have been running on fumes, because the engines coughed and whined as the plane tried to steady and land.

The wheels hit the ground with a loud squeal and smoke kicked up from the burning rubber. The small plane had turned out to be a single engine private charter plane. Room inside for maybe four people at the most. There was no co-pilot, only the man working the controls. He was a scruffy man, his face covered in a fair amount of hair, but not enough to be called a beard. He climbed out of the plane and immediately started fueling.

"We'd better hurry!" The pilot said; his voice gruff and hurried. "I saw a MASSIVE group of those things heading this way!"

"Shit…" Garrett and Anni said at the same time.

Garrett moved the cart pusher into position to watch the area the plane had flown in from, while Anni moved down to defend the pilot's position. This would be a hard fight.


	10. Chapter 10 We End it All

**Chapter 10 – We End it All**

The fortification barely held the initial attack. The beasts nearly broke through with swarming numbers. Garrett was picking zombies off with expert precision using a scoped rifle when they were at a decent range. That didn't last long however as these zombies were faster than the others. They closed on their position quickly and the two survivors had to switch to their close range weapons.

Annissina grabbed a shotgun from her bag and started blasting large chunks from the creatures' bodies. Several fell with holes missing from their midsections and guts were splayed along the tarmac, their blood and bile leaking from inside the pink strands of flesh. Old blood was running like water through the cracks in the ground, a red river speckled with black spots where the blood had clotted inside the dead bodies. Garrett was unloading clip after clip into the creatures and the plane was only starting to fill with fuel.

"How much longer!?" Anni yelled over the gunfire.

The pilot made a signal that said 10 minutes. It might as well have been an eternity to the other two. The horde was growing and the mutated zombies were showing now; Boomers exploded in their ranks, sending lesser zombies flying, Hunters leaped and bounded over their comrades just to get shot out of the air. Smokers, Tanks, and all manner of mutated freaks were vying to get to the living feast. Luckily the makeshift fort had been made ahead of time, allowing them to put the ammunition near the cart mover.

Garrett hadn't moved far from the vehicle and he probably wouldn't unless he had to. The undead corpses were starting to gather around his cart, their bodies making a makeshift wall of cover. The stench in the area was horrible, and it was getting worse with each dead thing that lumbered into the area. Garrett was starting to have trouble keeping up with the flow of zombies, the beasts using their fallen as cover, moving from one pile of dead to another.

_The damn things are getting smarter…___Garrett thought. They were being commanded; not just herded by the stronger zombies. A tank lumbered through the creatures and was throwing his lesser minions to the side, trying to get to the survivors. Garrett and Anni focused their fire on the giant zombie and were able to drop it before it got close enough to do any damage. Other creatures were starting to join the attack now; undead dogs ran between the feet of the walking corpses and carrion birds circled overhead, cawing with joy at the splendid feast they would have tonight.

The plane was nearly fueled; 5 minutes had passed and they had managed to keep the zombies at a healthy distance, but the horde was growing – and fast. They had swelled from around 500 beasts to at least a thousand if not more. The survivors were burning through ammo at an amazing rate – more than half was gone already.

"Anni! Get in the plane!" Garrett yelled.

Annissina obeyed and jumped into the plane; making sure to keep a firing point open so that she could still help Garrett hold the beasts off. Garrett moved the cart mover so that it wrapped around the back of the plane, helping shield them from the attack. He turned in his seat and shot his assault rifle on full automatic, the shells ripping through pallid flesh and sending grey chunks of skin and muscle flying in all directions. Only two more minutes.

The fight was nearly over but it wasn't done yet. Anni blasted a zombie's head that had gotten close to the plane, its decayed mind splattering on the black pavement. She raised her shotgun and a hunter's claw grabbed the barrel and shoved its face into the window, snarling like an angry dog. Anni gasped and grabbed one of her pistols and shoved it into the hunter's mouth before pulling the trigger, blowing the back of the creatures head out in an explosion of gore.

Garrett grabbed a small bottle of gasoline he had filled earlier and lit the small piece of cloth poking out of the neck of the glass and threw the makeshift explosive. It shattered in the middle of the zombie's ranks and set a great deal of them ablaze – killing several, but also blocking a small section of the attack from reaching them.

A zombie flew towards the cart, thrown by a second tank. It hit the roof of the vehicle and cart-wheeled over the plane, raining blood from a gash in its back where the spine was showing. Garrett blocked his head and by the time he looked up the tank was halfway to the plane. He opened fire and looked back; the pilot had finished fueling the aerial vehicle and was climbing into the pilot's seat.

Time seemed to slow down for a moment as Garrett was struck by sudden realization. He spun the cart mover around and pulled next to the plane.

"Move! Get it started!" He yelled, the tank closing fast.

The pilot nodded and started the engines. Garrett leaned over and shut the plane's door. The only way to get out – and in. Anni jumped and thrust herself against the window, a horrified look on her face. Garrett smiled sadly and covered his heart with his right hand and bowed his head slightly. A sign; the last message she would ever receive from him.

_**I Love You…**_

The cart mover spun away and sped into the crowd of zombies and sent them flying or crushing them under the vehicle's tires. Gore and blood splattered all around the cart as Garrett made one last attempt to keep the zombies from Annissina's only salvation. The plane moved forward and started to pick up speed. The cart was tearing a path through the lesser zombies, Garrett blasting anything that didn't get crushed.

"Stop the plane!" Anni screamed, her voice full of pain.

"I can't! If we don't leave now we never will!" The pilot stated. "He's doing it to give us time!"

Anni turned back and watched as the scene sped away, the plane slowly lifting into the air and flying to safety.

Back on the ground Garrett watched as the plane became a speck on the horizon. He had done it; he had saved her. He turned his attention back to the over three hundred zombies still craving for his flesh. He limped out of the cart mover and lit his last Molotov cocktail, leaving the bottle in the passenger seat. He stood next to the vehicle and drew his silver machete, planning to make his last stand one that would make the beasts work for their meal. As the first beasts got close he slashed them down like a master swordsman, but the numbers of the creatures overpowered him; dragging him to the ground and clawing at his body.

Despite the pain the boy smiled. These bastards wouldn't be full for long…

"Eat your fill…." He gurgled through a mouthful of blood.

And the cart mover exploded; incinerating the entire mob that surrounded his corpse; a full hundred zombies.

Anni never saw the explosion; never saw Garrett fall, never saw that airfield again. She was transported to a nearby military base that had been protecting uninfected refugees. Everyone had lost something. She was no exception; but she had lost the last thing she cared about.

** _The End_**


End file.
